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1. Definitions and concepts

2. Institutions of representative democracy

Main concepts

The Swedish youth policy goal for all government decisions and actions affecting young people between 13 and 25 is:

‘All young people should have good living conditions, the power to shape their lives and influence over society.’

The youth policy is consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) that states every child´s right to express its views freely in all matters affecting the child. The third part of the objective, i.e. influence over the development of society, is an explicit goal stating that young people are to be included in society and that they have an explicit right to exert influence. This means that young people should have the opportunity to participate in political decision-making, influencing matters of importance to society at large, and not only matters that immediately affect them.

Because the group of young people is comprised of both minors and adults, the degree of influence changes over time. CRC links participation rights to age and maturity.

When it comes to the formal decision-making processes, policy emphasises the importance of young people being represented in elected assemblies and becoming involved in political decisions.

Institutions of representative democracy

Sweden’s constitutional structure and main representative institutions

Sweden is a parliamentary democracy, meaning that all public power proceeds from the people.

At national level, the people are represented by the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) which has legislative power. The Government implements the Riksdag’s decisions and draws up proposals for new laws or law amendments.

At regional level, Sweden is divided into 21 regions, each with an elected council entitled to levy income taxes. The regions are responsible for overseeing tasks not managed at the municipal level best coordinated across a larger region, most notably health care.  At regional level, there are also county administrative boards (länsstyrelser) that are government bodies for the counties.

At local level, Sweden is divided into 290 municipalities, each with an elected council entitled to levy income taxes. The municipalities are responsible for a broad range of facilities and services including housing, roads, schools, public welfare, elderly care and childcare. They also charge for various services. As a result, municipalities have significant latitude in deciding what services they will offer. They are however legally obliged to provide certain basic services.

National elections

General elections are held in Sweden every four years. Voting is not compulsory. Voters may cast a ballot for a constituency party list, or for a specific candidate. On the same occasion, elections are held at national, regional and local levels to the Riksdag (Swedish parliament), regional and municipal councils respectively.